adjective / verb HSK 2
Traditional 乾/幹
dry · dried · to do · to work
Meaning
干 is a character with multiple meanings depending on context. Most commonly it means 'dry' (opposite of wet). It also means 'to do' or 'to work' in colloquial speech. The traditional forms distinguish between 乾 (dry) and 幹 (to do), but simplified Chinese uses 干 for both.
Usage
As 'dry', 干 describes lack of moisture in objects, weather, or conditions. As 'to do', it's very colloquial and appears in phrases like 干活 (to work) or 干嘛 (what are you doing?). In northern dialects, 干 as a verb is extremely common in everyday speech.
Examples
- 01这些衣服已经干了。.These clothes are already dry.
- 02你在干什么呢？?What are you doing?
Common collocations
- 干净clean
- 干燥dry (climate/air)
- 干活to work, to do manual labor
- 干嘛what are you doing?, why?
Antonyms
Origin
The traditional character 乾 originally depicted the sun rising, symbolizing dryness. 幹 depicted a tree trunk, representing the main work or trunk of an activity. Simplified Chinese merged these into 干.